Seven Years War

The Seven Years War was a major armed strife which took place in Europe, North America, and India between 1756 and 1763. The causes of the war were the colonial rivalries between France, Great Britain, and Spain, and the growing antagonism between Austria and Prussia which dated back from the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). Thus, In this world-wide military confrontation, France, Austria, Spain, Russia, and Sweden fought against Great Britain, Prussia, Portugal, and Hanover.

Summary

The Seven Years War began when Empress Maria Theresa of Austria attempted to win back the rich province of Silesia, which had been taken away from them by Frederick II the Great, Emperor of Prussia, during the War of the Austrian Succession. Having secured the support of Great Britain with an Anglo-Prussian alliance, Frederick II of Prussia crossed the border of Saxony on August 29, 1756, (a small German state in league with Austria) as a bold preemptive action to forestall an Austro-French invasion of Silesia. The following year, the Prussians invaded Bohemia, defeating the Austrian Army at the Battle of Prague on May 6, 1757, but Frederick II was defeated at Battle of Kolin on June 18, 1757, being forced to withdraw. On November 5, 1757, the Prussians routed a French and Austrian army in Saxony at the Battle of Rossbach. However, in August 1759, the Russian Army defeated the Prussians at the Battle of Kunersdorf, as the Austrians thrashed them again at the Battle of Maxen in November 1759.

In contrast with her Ally, Prussia, Great Britain was victorious on land, at sea, and in the colonies as the British and Hanoverian armies had defeated the French at the Battle of Minden on August 1, 1759, and again at the naval Battle of Lagos August 7-18, 1759, off the coast of Portugal, where a French fleet intended for an invasion of England was defeated. In September that year, the British captured Quebec from the French, and in November the English fleet beat the French at the naval battle of Quiberon Bay, Brittany. British success continued in 1760, with victory over the French in India at the Battle of Wandiwash (Madras, 22 January), which ended French hopes of a victory in India. It also saw some success for Frederick II, despite a short occupation of Berlin by the Russians in October, 1760.

After three more years of savage battles fought in Europe and the colonial territories of the European countries, the Seven Years War was officially put to an end in 1763 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The treaty gave Britain all French land in Canada except for two tiny fishing islands south of Newfoundland. To the south, the treaty gave Britain all of France’s holdings east of the Mississippi river, which now became the boundary between the British colonies and Louisiana, which Spain received from France before ceding Florida to Britain. Britain chose to keep Canada rather than the conquered Caribbean slave colonies Guadeloupe and Martinique, which were returned to France. Thus, Great Britain emerged as the big winner of the Seven Years War, establishing as the greatest colonial power, with control over India and North America, while Prussia arose as the greatest power on the Continent, and the dominant force inside Germany, as it reduced still further the power of the Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg Austria.

Below, a painting depicting the battle of Kunersdorf of 1759, fought between Prussia and the Austro-Russian Army, at which the Prussian General and king, Frederick II, was defeated.